Commentary: Resale event helps shave cost of prom

The ghosts of “Springtimes Past” whisper in my ear when I go to the mall this time of year.

“The prom dresses are here,” they say, and I can still sense their excitement.

As the mother of three daughters that phrase used to thrill and scare me at the same time. While I shared the girls’ excitement about finding the perfect style, fit, and color, I was also concerned about the cost. How would our budget handle it?

Even though our girls are now grown up, I see that others are still facing the same exciting challenges. Today’s beauties have learned, just as we did, to stretch their budgets by borrowing and trading dresses with friends and cousins from other school districts. Now, however, they have one more way to prepare economically for prom.

Last weekend a two-day Homecoming/Prom Dress Resale Event sponsored by Heather Stewart-Rigsbee owner of MadCab Event Planning and Sunnie Jenkins of Enon Home Experts Realty kicked off the prom season for many.

Young ladies or their moms were invited to drop off gently used formals from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday evening. Prices for the gowns were set then. Used accessories and shoes were also included in the resale.

Nearly 200 dresses were on the racks in the main room of Enon Home Experts Realty, 59 East Main Street, Enon.

The event was easy to find. I saw manikins wearing prom dresses out in front of the real estate office and two food trucks parked nearby.

According to Stewart-Rigsbee nearly 100 shoppers visited the sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Shoppers were from Huber Heights, Xenia, Springfield, Fairborn, and all around Clark County.

To keep with the theme of the event, Nicki Tobias was there with Color Street Nails and Julianne Howell was there with Paparazzi Jewelry.

“Schneider’s Florist donated corsages for the girls to try on. Dezigns by Tonya and Home Realty donated a gift card to Designs by Tonya for a prom updo,” said Stewart. “Alysha Parks won the drawing from CTC.”

More than 40 dresses were sold. All dresses had prices, but a couple of dresses had been donated and were secretly free.

Stewart said that more than one girl shed tears at check out when she learned that the dress she had selected would be free.

Late Sunday afternoon the dress sellers returned to either pick up their unsold dress or an envelope holding the payment. The organizers of the event charged only a 10 percent fee to handle cost of tags, bags and processing.

This is second time that Stewart-Rigsbee and Jenkins have put on a resale event. Their first event was in September.

They are planning their next resale event in Enon before Homecoming and hope to label each dress as to where it had been worn before. They also hope to have an even bigger crowd.

My daughters are all grown up now, but perhaps I’ll be bringing my grand girls to shop next fall.

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